The Fifth Dragon
by bookbuyerreader
Summary: There may be four dragons training, but what if there was suppose to be a fifth one. A young girl named Terra is the lost dragon of life and Chase Young wants her so that he can live forever without worry. i do not own Xiaolin showdown or any of the charactures. PLEASE review. ClayXOC
1. Prolouge

The Fifth Dragon

Prologue

It had been raining cats and dogs for several days. Every family in the small town of Blackspring was staying indoors and going outside as little as possible. It was late at night during the storm when a shrouded figure wearing a large hooded cloak could barely be seen on the sidewalk, trudging through the rain. By the look of the figures attire, it was clear that he or she had been walking for some time. Suddenly the wind picked up and forced the hood off of the strangers head. Had anyone been watching, they would have seen the face of a middle aged bald man with a black mustache, and a goatee. He quickly pulled the hood back up and continued walking.

"Why didn't the other monks warn me about this vile weather." the man muttered to himself.

"Maybe their vision was a bit _cloudy_?" said a voice from inside the man's cloak.

"Dojo, this is no time for jokes. We must hurry and find the fifth dragon before it is too late." replied the man.

Out of the cloak popped out the head of a tiny green dragon.

"Sorry Master Fung. Just thought I would _lighten_ the mood a bit." chuckled Dojo before he dove back into the cloak.

Master Fung sighed and continued walking. They had been searching for days now to find the five warriors who would become the dragons. So far they already had one staying with them at the temple, a young orphan that they named Omi. They had also heard rumors about the other four, one in Brazil, Texas, Tokyo, and here in Blackspring.

"So which dragon is it we're looking for again?" asked Dojo from inside the cloak.

"The dragon of life, the one dragon that only appears every 900 years." said Master Fung.

"And we have to find him... or her, before something bad happens right?" asked Dojo.

"Correct Dojo, even though the dragon does not know it, forces of evil will be coming to capture it, which is why we must hurry. Who knows what evil spirits lurk around the corner." said Master Fung.

"Man, you should work in a fortune cookie factory. They would make a killing with you there." said Dojo.

Once again, Master Fung sighed at the dragon. Finally after what seemed an eternity, the two arrived at a small brick house just on the edge of the town. The house almost looked like a cottage out of a fairy tale. Surrounded by a wooden fence, a small, thriving, garden in the front yard, a chimney with smoke flowing out, a forest in the back, and ivy covering the frame of the front door. Master Fung opened the gate and walked up to the door. Just as he was about to ring the doorbell, a huge boom echoed on the air, and a fiery blast came bursting out of the side of the house.

"You will give me the child woman, or there will be dire consequences." echoed a voice of a young man from the hole left in the wall.

"Leave us alone! You won't lay a finger on my baby girl!" shouted a voice of the woman. Out of the gaping hole dashed the woman, who looked like she was in her twenties, making a beeline for the front yard. She stopped dead when she spotted the old monk. Clutched in her arms was a wiggling two year old girl still in green footie pajamas. The child looked remarkably like the woman, same brown hair, same bright green eyes, and a light frame.

"Quick, come with us. We must get you to safety." said Master Fung.

"Do you really think that you can escape me? There is nowhere that you can hide." came the voice of the man again as he walked out of the hole. He had long back thick hair, wore armor that gave the impression of a giant lizard, and a cold, cruel stare in his eyes.

"Chase Young," said Master Fung bitterly, "Cease now and leave this family be."

"I don't think so old man. That child is the key to free me from my, millstone. Dragons won't be around forever you know." said Chase.

"Dojo, get the young woman to safety, I'll handle Chase." said Master Fung as he dug his feet into the ground and got ready to fight

"You got it Fung." said the dragon as he slithered out of the cloak and grew into his full size. The young woman gasped in fear after seeing this and was frozen to the spot still clutching to the child. Quickly she glanced at each of her options, and decided that the monk would be the safe bet and dashed over onto the dragon. Dojo took off leaving the monk with chase. For a moment the two warriors just looked at each other. Suddenly they both jumped at each other and began fighting. Each move preformed with precision and fierce speed. Each fist was met with the others fist, kick was met with kick, and every attack was countered. This continued for a few minutes until both warriors suddenly stopped and were silent once again. By now Master Fung knew that Dojo had put a good distance between them.

"Don't think that this is over monk, I am a very patient man. You may have protected them for now, but I will have the dragon of life someday." said Chase. Then, he turned, and walked away.

Master Fung simply watched him as the rain continued to fall. Then, he too started to walk in a deferent direction, toward the forest. He continued to walk until he reached an old campsite that looked as if it hadn't been used in a very long time. He sat down and waited patiently. After about half an hour, Dojo came slithering up to Master Fung with a troubled look on his face. Master Fung only needed to take one glace at him to know something was wrong.

"Dojo, where is the young woman and the child?" he asked.

"Well... you see... I... we were... they're gone," stammered Dojo, "She jumped off my back as soon as we were over the forest. I tried to fly down and find her, but it was like the forest came to life and kept trying to slow me down."

Master Fung jumped up, scooped up the dragon and started running further into the forest.

"We must find them, who knows who else is searching for them." said Master Fung.

They searched the forest until the sun started to rise and the rain finally came to an end. When they were sure that they had searched the forest from top to bottom, they continued beyond the forest and town. However, no matter how hard and long they searched, they could not find the woman and her child. They continued for days, but eventually they had to give up. The woman and child seemed to have disappeared off of the earth. Defeated, the monk and dragon started to head back to the temple.

"What do we do now Master Fung?" asked Dojo.

"We can only wait for dragon to reveal herself now. Hopefully in time, we will find her again and that she will be safe in the meantime." replied Master Fung.

"And, what about Chase?" asked Dojo again.

"We prepare and train even harder. We must not let him gain possession of the dragon." said Master Fung with a grim look in his eyes.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

S_everal years later..._

"So what's this new shen gong wu we're looking for?" asked Kimiko. The ride on top of the dragon had been taking some time now, it was late in the afternoon, and the other warriors were starting to get anxious.

"It's called the 'Scythe of the Spirits'," said Dojo as he pulled out a scroll, "whoever uses it will be given the power to talk to any dead spirit." The picture on the scroll showed a figure using the scythe and a ghostly form appearing.

"So, where is this scythe? It's not in a grave is it?" asked Raimundo.

"No. It's in a theater in a small town called Blackspring." said Dojo, who then gave quick glance at the forest they were flying over. He became silent for a moment.

"You ok there partner?" asked Clay

"Huh... oh yeah. I'm fine, just an old memory popping up. We should be coming up on the town soon. If I remember right, it's quite the quaint little place." said Dojo. Not soon after he spoke those words the forest disappeared behind them and a city came into sights.

"If this is a small town Dojo, then you may proclaim me the king of Russia" said Omi.

"Queen of Sheba you mean." corrected Raimundo.

"That too." said Omi.

"Hey, it's been a while ok!" proclaimed Dojo. The dragon zipped into the city and landed in a parking lot behind a store.

"So what's the plan here, split up and call everyone when we find it?" asked Kimiko as Dojo shrank to a smaller size.

"No need, the scythe is nearby. I can feel it." said Dojo as he started to sniff the air like a bloodhound. Suddenly he froze and pointed through the ally.

"Shen gong wu dead ahead." spouted Dojo. The monks took off in a dash, Omi scooping up Dojo as they went. When they emerged from the ally, right in front of them was a small theater with a sign that said 'The Green Llama Theater'.

"You sure that it's in there dojo?" asked Raimundo.

"Positive. I think." said Dojo. And with that, the monks headed towards the worn out double doors of the theater with a green llama on it. Inside there was nobody in the lobby, but there was a lot of noise coming from further in past some more doors.

"Sounds like some sort of rehearsal is going on, do you think we would be interrupting it?" asked Clay.

"Better we interrupt it than Spicer in my opinion." said Raimundo as he opened the doors. The monks looked at each other and decided that he had a point. When they went through the doors, there was a mess and a half on the stage. Right in the middle of the stage was a giant Venus flytrap looking plant with tentacles growing out of its' stem. To the left of it was a girl with platinum blond hair, stage makeup, and a white dress on rehearsing some lines. On top of the plant was an open hatch, with what looked like a high pull up bar from a gym class with a ladder on the side standing over it. Dangling from the bar was someone holding on by only their feet wearing what looked like overalls. Next to it was a guy leaning against the plant. Around the two people on stage, were a lot of other workers and actors doing their own thing. One actor was trying to find a fake machete, one girl was painting a wall to look like a worn down street, and another was stitching up a hole in someone's costume.

"How in the world are we going to find that wu in this mess?" asked Kimiko

"By searching diligently and with focus," said Omi raising a fist in the air, "remember we are Xiaolin warriors and we..."

"Uh Omi... how 'bout we just ask someone that works here. They probably use it as a prop if it's hidden here." said Clay.

"Oh. I suppose that would be easier." said Omi as he lowered his fist.

As the monks walked down the aisle and closer to the stage, they caught the attention of the actress in white, who simply glared at them.

"Oh woman of the theater, would you be so kind as to help us find a certain scythe. It would be most appreciated." asked Omi as the actress continued to glare at them

"Like, why would I want to do that? You guys are totally interrupting my rehearsal. If you want to find something, you should ask the freak in the plant." sneered the actress as she strode off. Omi simply stood there for a moment before he said anything.

"Was it something I said?" asked Omi.

"Nah, Rose is just a complete 'Prima Dona'. She thinks the whole world revolves around her." said the guy leaning against the plant. "She is right about one thing though. If you want to find something here, it's best to ask Terra here. Hey Terra, come out of that plant already, you know it's busted beyond repair." he continued as he looked up at Terra

"I told you already, I haven't met anything that I couldn't fix yet, and you're gonna owe me twenty bucks if I can. I'll be with you guys in just a sec." said Terra from within the plant. The monks just simply waited while Terra tried to fix the plant. David simply smirked at her, thinking that there was no way that the plant could be fixed.

"Hey would someone hand me my hammer?" asked Terra as she reached out. David grabbed the hammer from a backpack on the ground, climbed up the ladder, and put it in her hand.

**Bam... Clang... Thump! **The noises filled the air making the monks jump slightly, and the tentacle of the plant began to slowly wiggle in the air.

"Aha, she lives!" shouted Terra as she pulled herself up onto the bar and trusted both fists in the air. Terra by now was covered in grease and soot and had her hair tucked into a black beanie. David groaned as he pulled out a twenty from his pocket. Terra jumped down and snatched the twenty out of his hand. Terra had a light frame, a stubby nose, and sturdy hands. She then looked over at the monks, and froze.

For just a moment, two hearts skipped a beat, and a pair of bright green eye stared at a pair of soft blue eyes. Even though the world continued on, it felt like everything had been frozen in time. Omi and Raimundo both gave a confused look as Clay stared at Terra. Kimiko looked at both and gave a knowing smile. When it was clear that neither was going to speak first, Kimiko let out a small cough.

"We're sorry to interrupt you guys, but we were hoping you could help us find something." said Kimiko. Terra blinked a couple of times as if coming out of a dream

"Oh, right. What is it you guys are looking for?" said Terra.

"A scythe, it's probably been here longer that the theater." said Kimiko.

"Hmm, let me check the prop room. Come with me, maybe you'll recognize It." said Terra as she started walking to one of the side entrances. If the stage was crowded, then the backstage had to be considered chaotic. Several times Clay, who was just a head taller than Terra, had to duck just to avoid being hit in the head with numerous items. Omi had to make sure that Dojo was still inside his sleeve so that he couldn't fall out and get stepped on. Finally they all reached a door clearly labeled 'Prop Room'. Terra reached into her pocked and pulled out some keys, found the right key, and unlocked the door.

"Well, here we are. Most likely a scythe would be kept towards the back in closet C." said Terra. Most of the monks started towards the back in haste, but Clay stayed at the door.

"Don't think we've introduced ourselves yet. My name's Clay by the way." he said as he held out a hand.

"Terra," she said as she wiped off some grease off her hand and shook his, "I don't think you guys are from around here."

"No mam. We're just passing through and had to grab the scythe."

"That's too bad. You know... I'll bet you're looking for the weird looking scythe. It's stripped with a little skull on a tassel. We've been trying to find the right play for it but never had any luck."

"That would probably be it. And, ya don't mind us taking it?"

"Nah. We have like, ten more in that closet." Terra said with a shrug. There was another silence that filled the air.

"So, how long have you lived here?" asked Clay

"Only for about a year now, my mom and I use to move around a lot, but this is where I was born. I came to live here in my aunts' house when my mom died." said Terra.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Clay said with a sad look.

"It's ok. I've learned to live in the present, and she's with my dad now. So she's not alone." Terra said with a somber look.

"What was she like?"

"She was, quite the character. She used to work in a circus when she met my dad. He joined the act as a daredevil while she was a trapeze artist. After a few years they retired, had me, and moved here," said Terra, who then realized that she had begun to blabber, "sorry. I didn't mean to tell you my whole life story." She turned her head away trying to hide a blush.

"I don't mind. I..." said Clay when a shout interrupted him.

"Hey, we found the scythe! No thanks to you." said Raimundo with a smirk as he came walking back. The scythe was about as tall as he was, covered with black and white stripes, and did indeed have a little skull daggling from a tassel.

"Yes. Now that we have the scythe, we must quickly get back to the temple." said Omi, who then paused as if just realizing something.

"Why do you cover your head with that hat? Are you cold or bald?" he asked Terra. Terra glanced at a nearby mirror and saw that she was still wearing her beanie.

"Oh. No, I just like to keep my hair out of the way when I'm working on projects, like our plant." And with that she yanked off her cap. Her hair fell down to about her shoulders and was the color of melted chocolate. Clay opened his mouth to try to say some sort of compliment when he was once again interrupted. **Boom! **Everyone jumped, dashed out the door.

When they finally reached the stage, there was a huge hole in the roof as a boy came flying on a heli-bot in with tons of robots.

"Hahahahaha. That's right, tremble in the shadow of the most evil boy genius in the world, Jack Spicer!" he shouted.

"Ugh, Jack Spicer why must you be so meddlesome." said Omi as the monks got ready to fight and Dojo slid out of Omi's sleeve and hid.

"I'm evil. What do you expect really," said Jack, "Jackbots, atta..."

"No! Look at what you did!" Terra shouted while staring stunned at what was left of the plant. When Jack had burst through the roof, the rubble had fallen right on top of the newly fixed plant.

"That took me hours to fix. Do you realize how much work I put into this thing!" she continued to shout; now glaring at Jack himself. By now most of the people working in the theater had fled, except for the monks who were staring at Terra

"Geez lady, calm down. Like I said, I'm evil." replied Jack.

"You are so gonna get IT." snarled Terra. She looked for the closest robot and jumped onto it. Leaping from there, she jumped robot to robot getting closer to Jack. Jack by now was franticly trying to get away and sending robots to stop her. The monks had also joined the fight at this point and were smashing robot after robot. Clay roped one and swung it toward Raimundo, who then kicked it causing it to break. Kimiko was running towards one, jumped onto its back, and flipped the off switch. Omi was chopping one robot after another into dust as he jumped through the air. Terra was easily avoiding the robots and finally caught up to Jack. She jumped onto his back and started pushing buttons and flipping switches on his heli-bot.

"Hey! What are you doing?" shouted Jack as his heli-bot stopped working and they crashed on the stage. Terra jumped just before impact and got into a boxing position.

"I'm teaching you a lesson." said Terra.

"I have a better idea. Tangle Web Comb!" shouted Kimiko whipping out the comb, tying up Jack like a mummy.

"Hey, no fair," cried Jack, "Jackbots, get me out of here!" The remaining jackbots grabbed ahold of jack, and crashed out of the wall this time, causing even more rubble and wires to fall on the floor. It wasn't until the robots were gone and the air grew silent that someone finally spoke up. Unfortunately, that person was Rose.

"Look at what you weirdoes did," she shouted, "The play is absolutely ruined. The plant is busted, the walls are smashed, and all thanks to you!"

"Hey! They were trying to help us. If it's anyone's fault, it's because of that Spicer guy." Terra shouted back at her.

"No one asked you to butt in, you freak! So why don't you run on home to your mommy."

"YOU... ahhh! You are the most selfish, vile, self-centered, and rude person I have ever had the displeasure working with. But maybe that's not a bad idea. I quit!" And with that, Terra grabbed her backpack from beneath the rubble, and stormed out. All anyone could do for a moment was just stare as she pushed open the doors, and left. Once the doors closed, people began to realize that they had just lost their best stagehand and started panicking.

"Maybe we should leave. It's starting to get dark." said Dojo as he slithered out from his hiding place near the wall.

"Good idea." said Kimiko as she used the changing chopsticks to shrink the scythe and put them both in her pocket. But, as luck would have it, a loose wire from the wall fell and was heading straight for Dojo.

"Look out!" Raimundo shouted. Dojo looked up, saw the wire coming, screamed, and tried to dash out of the way. He nearly made it, but when the wire hit the ground, it also hit the very end of his tale. The wire was apparently still live, because Dojo froze, and started twitching like crazy. Quickly, Omi dashed over and kicked away the wire, letting Dojo freeze once again, and collapsed.

"Dojo, you ok there little buddy?" Clay asked concerned.

"I guess so. But I think my liver is medium rare now." Dojo replied a bit woozily as Omi picked him up. They headed out of the theater and saw that it was indeed now dark outside.

"I don't suppose you can fly us out of here Dojo." said Raimundo. Kimiko then punched him in the arm.

"Let me try." said Dojo. He jumped to the ground and tried to grow to his bigger size, which didn't work very well. His head first grew to the size of a balloon, shrank as his hands grew instead, then his tail grew as his hands shrank.

"Nope, looks like I'm grounded for the night guys." he said apologetically as his tail shrank. The monks groaned as this meant that they would have to either find some other way to get back to the temple, or they had to find a place to spend the night.

"How much do we have altogether?" Kimiko asked as Omi placed Dojo on his shoulder.

"Only about 30 buck." replied Clay.

"You guys need some help?" said a familiar voice. The monks turned towards it and saw Terra standing there.

"That'd be mighty helpful. Do you know a cheap motel 'round here?" Clay said with a slight smile.

"I know an even better place. You guys can spend the night at my place. I've got a couple of sleeping bags and a comfy couch. It's the least I could do since you guys helped me out." said Terra with a bigger smile.

"Sound great. It'd be awesome to sleep on something other than a mat." said Raimundo as he and the others walked toward Terra. Clay ran ahead of them and stopped when he reached Terra.

"You sure that we aren't imposing or anything?" he asked her.

"No way, like I said, it's the least I could do." she replied.

"What 'bout the play, you sure they aren't gonna need ya?"

"Perhaps, but I've been dealing with Rose for too long now. Besides, this isn't the first job I've quitted. I'll find another one soon."

"Well... you're always welcome to come with us. We could always use another hand with kicking that Spicer's butt."

"Hmm, that doesn't sound too bad. You know, you never told me where you're from." And with that, Clay began telling her exactly that. What they were, how they joined the monks and the temple, and some of the adventures that they had encountered so far.

While Clay was telling her the stories, Raimundo and Omi, a few feet back, were once again confused by the change in Clays' attitude. Kimiko on the other hand, once again had a knowing smile on her face.

"Why does Clay chatter away like a monkey to our new friend Terra? Does he have some sort of leak in his head?" Omi asked Raimundo.

"Dude, I have no idea what's up with him. Maybe he's sick or something." Raimundo replied.

"Hope it's not contagious." said Dojo from Omi's shoulder.

"Are you guys seriously that blind. He's not sick, he likes her is all." said Kimiko getting tired of Raimundo not seeing it. Omi she could understand though.

"You mean to tell me that our old cowpoke here finally found someone?" asked Raimundo with a smirk. Once again Kimiko lightly punched him in the arm knowing where this was going and gave him a warning glare. As they continued to walk, Raimundo trying to think of some smart-alecky comment to say to Clay, who was still telling stories to Terra as she listen intently. Finally, they reached an apartment building that had a wooden fence around it. Terra opened the gate and walked to the door with the monks following her. The building was about four stories tall, was made of bricks, and had a small garden in front of it. They entered the apartment lobby and walked past a blond male sleeping, and snoring, at the clerk's desk.

"Evening there Jacob." Terra jokingly said to him as they went past him and approached the elevator.

"Should we wake him?" Omi asked Terra once they entered the elevator.

"Nah. Best to let sleeping dogs lie." she replied as she pressed the 3 button and the doors closed on them. Finally the doors opened to a hallway. They got out and Terra got out her keys as she led them to the last door on the right. She unlocked the door and opened it to a modest living room.

"It may not be very fancy, but it's home." she said as they entered. All of the sudden a white and orange blur came tearing down the hallway to the right, pounced, and leapt into Terra's arms. Before any of the monks could react, Terra started laughing.

"How in the world did you get in Oliver." she asked the cat, now purring in her arms.

"You know this feline I presume?" Omi asked.

"Sort of, he's just a stray that I feed once in a while. I must have left a window open by mistake." she said as the cat jumped down and proceeded to rub his head against Omi's leg.

"Heh, I think he likes you. I'll be right back; the sleeping bags are in the closet. Make your selves comfortable" she said as she kicked off her shoes and went to go get them. The living room wasn't very big, but it did have a plushy couch, a bookshelf to the left, and a TV across from it. The kitchen could be seen from there and currently had its' light on. On one of the counter was a beat up looking CD player. There was a window in the kitchen, that was indeed open, that had a rectangle pot with some flowering strawberries plants in it on the windowsill. Terra came back in holding three sleeping bags, a blanket, and a pillow for everyone.

"I'm afraid I've only got three sleeping bags, but the couch is very comfy. I've fallen asleep several time on there while watching a movie." Terra said and she dropped the load onto the floor.

"It is no problem. Seeing as Kimiko is the most delicate, I believe that she should receive the couch." proclaimed Omi. Raimundo choked back a laugh as Kimiko glared extremely at Omi.

"Do you mind repeating that last statement? I would choose your next words very wisely." she growled at him. Omi hunched as he sensed the impending danger.

"Heh, um, I do believe I have forgotten what I said." he muttered quickly.

"Anyway, we appreciate this quite a bit. Thank you." Clay said to Terra.

"No problem. I'm gonna head to bed, if you guys need anything, don't be afraid to ask. Oh, and you're free to use the TV if you want." she replied.

"Thanks, 'night." said Clay

"Goodnight." said Terra as she went down the hallway

Once Terra closed her bedroom door, the monks started setting up the sleeping bags. Kimiko ironically did end up taking the couch, with Dojo taking the top of the couch. Finally they got settled and turned off the light.

"So Clay... are you gonna ask her out or what?" Raimundo asked.

"What in tarnation are you talking 'bout? What gave you that idea?" Clay replied as one of his eyebrows raised.

"Dude, ever since we met her, I've never seen you so chatty and buddy-buddy." Raimundo pointed out. Clay was silent for a while before he replied.

"I'm that obvious huh?" Clay asked.

"You do, as they say, wear your heart on your hat." said Omi.

"On his sleeve, but in this case that could be true." snicker Raimundo before a pillow hit him in the face.

"I feel kinda bad that she lost her job though, wish we could do something about It." said Kimiko as Raimundo threw back the pillow.

"What if she came back with us," Clay suggested, "you guys saw all those moves she used against Spicer." Everyone considered this for a moment.

"You know, that's not such a bad idea. Although, you sure you're not just trying to find another way to get to know her." Raimundo joked again. And once again his face met with a certain pillow.

"We can ask her in the morning. But in the meantime, this dragon needs his beauty sleep. So I suggest you guys do the same." said Dojo as he slapped on a sleeping mask and instantly started snoring. The monks follow suit and one by one fell asleep.

…

Meanwhile in Terra's room, Terra was writhing back and forth, whimpering, and clawing at the bed sheets. Her pajamas were clinging to her with perspiration.

_A two year was trembling as she was walking in complete darkness. She didn't know where she was or how she got there, all she knew was that she was cold and she was frightened._

"_Do you really think you can escape me? There is nowhere you can hide." a voice in the darkness spoke. The two year old flinched as if the voice was right behind her._

"_L...leave me alone. Stay away from me." she cried trying to sound brave. All of the sudden, horrible memories started floating around her._

"_Why don't you just run on home to your mommy?" an actress sneered._

"_What kind of freak are you!" a thirteen year old boy shrieked as he dangled from his ankle by a vine._

"_I so sorry sweetie... but you'll be safe with Aunt Mandy. I'm afraid I can't be with you anymore." a frail woman, who looked like the two year old, in a hospital bed murmured. _

_More and more memories filled her vision as they spun around her faster and faster. She kept seeing faces, scared, angry, scornful, and even more. _

"_Stop it! I'm not a freak! Just leave me ALONE!" the two year old started shouting as she covered her ears. She kept screaming this until it became exactly that, raw and frightened screaming. _

Back in the waking world, all four monks sat up awakened, having only slept a few hours, by a screaming coming from Terra's room. They jumped up thinking maybe Jack had come back for the scythe. Clay was the first to enter her room and paused at what he saw. Terra was in her bed, alone, still screaming and thrashing about as if something were attacking her.Raimundo was the first to react though. He dashed forward and tried waking her from her nightmare.

"Rai, I don't think that may be a good idea." Clay said as Raimundo started shaking her.

"Why's that?" He replied as Terra's eyes shot open and she grabbed his wrist. Before he could even make a sound, Terra had him pinned down on the carpet with both hands pulled behind his back.

"Owowowow! I give I give, Uncle!" Raimundo shouted with his face shoved into the carpet. Clay hurried forward and pulled Terra off of Raimundo. Terra, once off of him, simply sat there on the ground gasping for air with Clay still holding onto her. Heart still pounding, she looked at each of the monks, exhaled slowly, and stood up.

"Sorry about that." she said, her voice still a little hoarse from her scream.

"You ok there little lady?" Clay asked worried.

"I'm fine now, just a bad dream. Are you ok Raimundo?" she asked as she noticed him rubbing his wrists.

"Yeah, I've had worse. Though I will say this, you're a lot stronger than you look." Raimundo replied with a chuckle.

"Heh, sorry." she said meekly.

"Alright, now that our little adventure is over, how about we go back to sleep?" Dojo asked from the doorway. Seeing how there was no danger, everyone but Clay followed Dojo out. He looked at her for a moment before deciding to speak.

"You sure you're ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I nightmares once in a while." she replied.

"You know, I was gonna wait till morning to ask ya, but we were talking and we feel bad about you losing your job."

"I told you already that it's no big deal."

"Regardless, we still feel bad, and were wondering if ya would like to come back with us to the temple." Clay asked as he tried to hide a slight blush.

Terra was silent for a moment, bewildered at the sudden invitation.

"Wow, that's... really nice of you," she said with a little smile, "would you be ok if I sleep on it though?"

"Not at all, it's probably best if we all get back to sleep. 'Night Terra." said Clay as he walked out the door trying to hide an even bigger blush.

"'Night Clay." she replied as a warm feeling was beginning to spread in her chest. As she sat on her bed, she felt as if her heart was filling like a balloon and was about to burst.

On the other side of the door, Clay felt the same way as he walked down the hallway. By the time he got back to the others, Raimundo was already snoring as Omi and Kimiko were settling down. As Clay lay down on his sleeping bag, a huge grin was spreading across his face and stayed there as he fell asleep for the night.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

When morning came, the sun was shining, birds could be heard singing from the still open kitchen window, and four monks and a dragon were sleeping away. In the kitchen Terra, still in her PJ's, was flipping pieces of French toast, and frying bacon.

As she was cooking, she had headphones plugged into an mp3 player and bobbing her head humming 'Burning Love' as she listened to the music. Suddenly, a nose began sniffing the air and Dojo sat straight up. He looked over to the kitchen and spotted the huge pile of already cooked slices of bacon, French toast along with bowls of sliced strawberries, orange juice, and syrup on the table.

"That is the most beautiful sight I have seen in a long time." he said gleefully. Terra, who still had her headphones in, didn't respond and started lip-syncing to the lyrics. Then another moan came from the group and Clay yawned and sat up.

"Mmmm, something smells mighty good." he said as he too caught a whiff of breakfast and stood up. Dojo went about to wake up the others, Raimundo needing the most encouragement. Terra finally noticed in her peripheral vision the waking monks and took out her headphones.

"Hey, 'morning sleepyheads, I hope you're hungry." she said with a smile as she put the last of the bacon on the frying pan.

"You bet we are." said Raimundo as he sat at the small table.

"Ha-ha, good, because I made plenty for everyone."

And with that everyone dived in. The French toast was warm and soft, the bacon was hot and crispy, and the strawberries were perfectly ripened. The only one who didn't eat the bacon was Omi.

"Ok, I have to ask... where in the world did you get these strawberries?" Dojo asked with his mouth full of food.

"I grow them actually." she said as she pointed to the pot on the windowsill. And sure enough there were still a few strawberries left on their stems, fully ripened, with no flowers. Dojo's eyebrows rose in confusion when he saw this. He was sure that those had been flowers last night. Once again, an old memory came to mind, of a forest trying to stop him.

"Dojo, you ok?" Kimiko asked him, snapping him out of his train of thought.

"Huh, oh, yeah I'm fine," he guessed that the others hadn't noticed the change in the plant, "Anyway; we should probably start getting ready to go."

"Hold up there partner, there's something we need to take care of first," said Clay as he turned to Terra, "Did ya make a decision yet?"

"I have actually." she replied with a shy smile.

"Wait wait wait... you asked her already?" Raimundo asked Clay who simply answered with a nod.

"He asked me after I pinned you down last night. I slept on it overnight... and... I decided that I would like to come with you guys. There's nothing that's keeping me here and I'd like to get to know you guys better, if you guys would like me to come." Finished, she waited for them to answer. Omi zipped over and clung to Terra with a hug.

"This is excellent! We have a new friend to help us in the never-ending fight for good. And I shall teach her all that I know, and she can make us many more delicious breakfasts, and we shall train day and night..." Omi stopped for a moment to take a deep breath.

"Chill dude or you're gonna get a headache." said Raimundo as he pried Omi off of Terra who was laughing at the sudden hug.

"Thanks guys, I'm really excited to come. Just let me grab a couple of things and get ready." she said as she got up from the table. Kimiko got up as well and started to follow her.

"Do you mind if I borrowed your shower?" she asked Terra

"Not at all, there are some clean towels on the towel rack." And the two headed down the hall. When they disappeared from sight, Raimundo turned, and gave a sly smile to Clay.

"So...Clay?" he started to ask.

"Now Rai don't ya start. As you pointed out last night..."

"Whoa there cowboy, I was gonna ask for some advice."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"Should I keep a better eye on you now that there's another girl on the team?"

Raimundo laughed as he had to duck very quickly to avoid being smacked by Clay's hat.

"Come on guys, Master Fung has to be wondering where we disappeared to by now. So let's get a move on." And with that they started getting ready

…

Meanwhile, Terra was in her room packing a few things. She had changed out of her PJ's and was now wearing jeans, a plain green T-shirt, a brown jacket, and had her hair in a loose braid. She was muttering a quick list of things when she paused, and reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a picture frame. A wishful smile formed on her face as she stared at it before she placed it in backpack. In the wooden frame was a picture of an older version of Terra wearing a long green dress standing with a man just a head taller, with sandy blond hair, a thin nose, and wearing a daredevil suit. The woman's belly was swollen and was obviously ready to give birth.

"You almost ready Terra?" asked Kimiko as she opened the door, showered and ready for the day.

"Yeah, let's head on out." Terra said as she zipped close her backpack and threw in over her shoulder.

"What are you going to do about the apartment? Will someone else move in?"

"No. My aunt owns the place, so either she'll move in or it'll stay empty until I decide to come back."

"Ah. Can I ask you one more question?"

"Ask away."

"What happened to your dad? I overheard you telling Clay what happened to your mom and... I hope I'm not getting too personal." Terra was quiet for a while before she answered and simply looked forward with a distant look.

"No, you're not. I actually get that question a lot. After my parents retired from the circus, they came to live here to start a family. About a year after I was born, my parents were having a bad argument one night about bills or something and my dad went out for a drive to calm down. There were some teenagers having a party that same night, and one of them decided that he was good to drive even after drinking a lot. And well... you can guess what happened next."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. I don't remember him much, but what I do of him are happy memories. So, are we ready to head out?" she said as she blinked and straightened up.

"We're ready." said Kimiko, and the two headed out the bedroom door. When they reached the living room, the sleeping bags had been rolled up and placed next to the couch, dirty dishes had been cleaned and put away, and the others were waiting by the door.

"Man what took so long, we've been ready for hours." Raimundo complained.

"I had to clean you slobber from my floor," Terra joked, "Are we good to go?"

"Yep, let's mozy on out." said Clay. When the group reached the lobby, Terra stopped to fill out some papers. Finally they got outside where Dojo hopped down and grew to his bigger size.

"Whoa." said Terra as she stared at the dragon with an amazed look. Dojo noticing this, just smiled proudly as the others climbed on.

"All aboard the Dojo express! Next stop, the Xiaolin Temple." he cried. Clay reached down and offered a helping hand to Terra, who took it without a second thought and climbed up to the others.

"Hang on!" Dojo once again cried and took off. Terra had been on airplanes before and had even ridden a hang glider as well, those were nothing compared to ridding on a dragon. The wind was roaring in her ears and the city of Blackspring grew smaller as they gained altitude. Terra leaned over to watch the city when she felt a hand grab onto her shoulder.

"Whoa there partner, lean too far and you'll fall off there." said Clay when she turned around.

"Sorry, it's just... this is amazing! It's so cool to see the world from this perspective. Do you guys travel like this all the time?" she asked

"Pretty much, it's the best way to find the shen gong wu."

"Ah. Hey, I've been meaning to ask, do most of your fights with... what's his name... end that quickly?"

"Jack? Not usually, most of the time he puts up a better fight, or at least with more robots."

"Hmm. Wonder why he quit so easily." As the ride home went on, the now five warriors chatted on. They were almost home when they got to the topic of Xiaolin showdowns.

"So, let me get this straight, if two people touch a shen gong wu at the same time, they have a showdown for it. And it can be any challenge?" Terra asked.

"That's right, and ya each have to wager a sheng gong wu for the match." said Clay.

"Cool. Do you think Master Fung will be ok with me joining you guys?" she asked.

"I'm sure he will. I bet he'll love you." said Kimiko.

"I hope so," Terra thought to herself, "I hope that this is my place in the world. Mom always moved us so much, I never felt like I belonged anywhere. But these guys, I've never felt so accepted."

"Please fasten your seatbelts and turn your trays to the upright position as we are about to reach our location." cried Dojo as he started to descend. Once they reached the ground, everyone hoped down and started to head for the opening in the wall surrounding the temple. When they reached it, they discovered that Master Fung was waiting for them.

"Ah, young monks, I see that you have returned safely. Might I ask why you took so long to get back?" he asked them.

"Well you see... we ran into a little trouble when Spicer tried to get the shen gong wu. Because of him a wire fell on Dojo, so he couldn't fly and get back. But thankfully Terra here offered to let us crash at her place after she helped us kick Spicer's butt." explained Raimundo.

"Very well, and I suppose that this young lady is Terra." said Master Fung.

"Yeah, we felt bad because she lost her job so we asked if she'd like to join us, and she said yes." said Kimiko.

Master Fung took a good look at the new arrival and studied her for a while. Terra, not having said a word since they landed, studied him back and felt like she was staring at a memory. Master Fung on the other hand, had a feeling he knew who he was looking at. But he had to make sure that it was indeed her.

"I hope that you feel welcomed here young Terra." he finally said. Terra blinked a couple of times.

"Thank you. I hope that I'll be helpful here." she replied with a smile

"Come, let us find you a room as the monks start on their chores." said Master Fung.

He led the way to the rooms as the monks groaned at the upcoming chores and Dojo slithered onto his shoulder. Terra followed as she clutched to her backpack feeling a little nervous once again. For some reason, the man in front of her made her think of a forgotten memory. As they walked, Dojo was whispering something into Master Fung's ear. It wasn't until when Dojo finished that Master Fung spoke again.

"Tell me young Terra, where do you come from?" he asked

"From my home town, Blackspring." she replied.

"Hmm... and where are your parents?"

"I'm afraid they're not alive."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that you will find happiness while training here."

"Thank you. May I ask a question?"

"You may." he said as they reached an empty room in the hallway. Terra placed her bag on the floor before asking, turned, and looked Master Fung right in the eyes.

"Where... I mean... have we ever met before?" she said after trying to find the right words.

"I am not quite sure myself. But I know a way of making sure."

Master Fung then turned to a window where a pot full of dirt was sitting. He grabbed the pot and held it in front of her.

"If you are who I think you are, then you'll know what to do." he told her. Terra turned a slight shade paler as she stared at the pot. She hadn't shown anyone this for a long time or shared her secret. But for some reason, she felt as though she could trust this old monk.

And so, slowly and surely, she reached over and placed her hand just above the pot. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and focused on the pot.

For a moment, nothing happened. But suddenly, a tiny sprout began to grow and poke out from the ground. It continued to grow as leaves began to form on the sides and the top began to swell and burst open to reveal a daisy. Once it was fully bloomed, Terra took her hand away and the daisy stopped growing.

"Wow." Dojo said quietly as Terra looked into Master Fung's eyes once again with a hesitant look.

"Have you told the other monks yet?" he asked her.

"Not yet, I'm afraid of what they'll think. I haven't had the best luck with people knowing about it." she replied as she glanced at the floor

"I am quite sure they will be most understanding, dragon of life."

Terra looked up in surprise at the new name she had received and smiled as a joyful tear started to form. She was about to say something when the Omi entered the hallway.

"Ah, Omi, you're just in time. Would you go and tell the other monks that we will train instead of doing chores for now?" Master Fung asked

"Oh yes Master Fung, will Terra train as well?" Omi asked excitedly.

"Yes, she will indeed young monk." said Master Fung. And with that, Omi dashed down the hall to the others. Terra was frozen to the spot for a moment, training would mean showing off skills, and showing off her skills would mean her secret would be out.

"What do you mean by train Master Fung?" Terra asked.

"If you are to be part of the team, the others will need just as much trust as you. Does this make sense?" he replied. Terra thought about it for a moment before answering.

"I suppose, they'll find out anyway." she said as she turned to go down the hallway.

As she walked, she thought about the few times that she had revealed her secret to someone.

"This time is different though, I just showed Master Fung and he understood. But then again, he was expecting it to happen," she thought to herself, "No... I'm not going to hide anymore, I'm going to show them and hopefully they'll accept me." She took a deep breath, when she reached the door and went outside to find Clay waiting for the others. He had changed into a red shirt and white pants with a blue sash. He then looked up and saw Terra walking over.

"Hey there, find your room ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah I did. Hey... can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what'd that be?"

"When we train here in a minute, well...don't freak out at my... moves I guess."

"Ok... I suppose" he said confused.

Finally the others arrived, who had also changed into the same outfits except for Kimiko who wore a sort of dress/robe. They then started stretching. Terra took off her jacket and followed suit. When Master Fung arrived, he waited for the monks to finish.

"Young monks, because Terra is not used to using the shen gong wu, we will simply training your dragon skills. Each of you will face the other in a race to touch the other before the other does." he explained.

"So, it's basically a game of tag, seems easy enough." Raimundo commented.

"Since you seem so sure, why don't you and Omi go first?" said Master Fung. The two monks looked at each other with a smirk, both confident that they would win.

They then took their places a few feet away, and there was a moment of silence.

"Begin." Master Fung said, and with that the two went at each other. Raimundo sent a blast of wind straight at Omi's head. Omi then jumped to the side and sent a stream of water back at Raimundo. Omi came running right behind the stream as it splashed Raimundo. But before he could touch him, Raimundo jumped over Omi's head, turned quickly around, and tried to tap him.

Omi then jumped away from him and sent the water all over the ground and Raimundo's feet. Raimundo parachuted into the air before Omi could freeze the water. Raimundo then landed on top of Omi's head and tapped him.

"Winner, Raimundo..." Master Fung said as the two came back to the group "...who would like to go next?"

"I'll go." Terra spoke up.

"I will too." Kimiko said.

"Very well, take you places..." Master Fung said. Terra could feel her heart beat harder as she walked. She looked over at Clay, who gave her a quick-thumbs up. When they were in their places, Terra took a deep breath.

"Begin." Master Fung said again.

Terra got into a fighting position as Kimiko dashed toward her. Kimiko then jumped into the air and sent a fireball at her. Terra was barely able to jump out of harm's way. She then flipped in the air as Kimiko landed and turned to face her. Terra then raised her hands with her palms forward. Kimiko raised an eyebrow in confusion. All of the sudden, several ivy plants began growing out of the ground and reached for Kimiko. Clay, Raimundo, and Omi gaped in awe at what was happening in front of them. Kimiko sent small fireballs at the ivy plants as they continued to go after her. But finally one came from behind and wrapped itself around her waist. As she struggled to get out of its grasp, Terra was rushing forward to Kimiko. When she reached her, she tapped Kimiko on the forehead, and the ivy plants retracted into the earth.

"Winner, Terra." Master Fung said.

All anyone could do for a while was just stare at the feat they had just witnessed. When Terra glanced at the ground, positive that she had scared off her new friends, they all started cheering.

"Woo-wee, that was greater than daddy's homemade barbeque." Clay stated.

"That was indeed most impressive, I cannot believe my sight." Omi claimed.

"You mean eyes, and I can't agree more, that was killer dude." said Raimundo.

"All I have to say is that evil better watch out for you. You're amazing." said Kimiko as she hugged Terra.

"Y... you guys mean that?" Terra asked incredulously.

"Of course we mean it. How come you didn't tell us about it before?" Kimiko asked as she let go of Terra.

"Well, I haven't had the best of luck with telling people about it before.

"What else can you do, can you bring zombies up from the ground?" Raimundo asked.

"Ha-ha... I'm afraid all I can do so far are plants, small animals, and minor injuries." Terra replied.

Omi then turned to Master Fung with a quizzical look on his face.

"Master Fung, is Terra a dragon like us?"

"She is indeed Omi, she was lost for many years. But we will discuss it later. For now, I believe that it is Clays turn. Who would like to go again?" asked Master Fung.

"I'll go." Terra said, this time much more confidently.

"Very well, take your places..." Maser Fung said.

Terra and Clay did so and each took a deep breath. Terra gave a quick smile to Clay, and he returned it.

"Begin." Master Fung said

This time Terra did not hold back, as soon as the word had left Master Fung's lips, ivy plants once again shot from the ground. Clay then kicked the ground as a boulder came rising out up and sent it flying towards Terra. Terra then raised her hand and some ivy shot across forming a net, catching the boulder. Once the boulder had fallen to the ground, the ivy then started forming basically monkey bars. Terra then jumped onto one and started flipping through the air and jumping from one to another. Clay began running underneath them trying to keep up with Terra as he sent smaller rocks cutting through the ivy.

Terra raised a hand as an ivy vine flew over and wrapped itself around her wrist. Terra closed her fist on the ivy and swung down from the ivy bar that she had been perched on. As she swung down, Clay caught sight of where the vine was attached to an ivy bar, and sent a rock at it. Terra hadn't noticed this as she raised her free hand and ivy plants began forming around Clay who had also raised a hand. The rock that Clay sent flying cut through the vine and sent Terra falling towards the ground. Clay was struggling with the ivy as he raised some earth to catch her as one piece of ivy finally caught ahold of him. Terra landed on the risen earth and was sucked into it up to her neck. Clay was finally overcome by the plants and trapped as well. There was a moment of silence.

"It is a tie." Master Fung said.

And with that, Clay released the earth and Terra sent the ivy back into the ground. Terra was brushing off some dust as she walked with Clay back to the others

"Good job from all of you. This was an excellent start for our newest warrior, but there is still one more thing that we must do." said Master Fung. He then pulled from inside his sleeve a brand new red bundle with a blue sash on top, and handed it to Terra.

"Wow... this is... I... I don't know what to say." stammered Terra.

"If you will go change, we all need to discuss what this will mean. Omi, would you be as kind to wait for Terra?" asked Master Fung.

"Yes Master Fung." said Omi as he followed Terra back to her room. As Terra walked, she tried to remember a time when she felt this accepted. Not many came close to how happy she felt now.

"Terra, might I ask you a question?" Omi asked once they were inside the building.

"Yeah, go ahead." she said.

"What is the most power you have had to use?"

"Oh, well... I guess that would have to be when I broke my leg when I was about ten. I was climbing a tree trying to do a trick my mom had taught me. I wasn't being careful, slipped on a branch, and fell."

"Have you ever brought anything back to life?"

"Only small animals, like birds that had flown into a window."

"Do you think you could bring a person back?"

"Maybe, but hopefully not. A bird is one thing but a person is different."

Terra reached her room finally and stepped inside. "I'll be just a minute."

Once inside, she pulled close the curtain hanging on the doorway. She was about to start changing when she paused and looked at her bag. She opened it and took out the picture of her parents, smiled slightly, and placed it on the ground next to the wall.

"I'll make you proud guys." she whispered and continued changing. Once done, she followed Omi out the building, across the courtyard, into another building, and into a room where everyone else was sitting on the floor in a circle. Incense was burning and the windows were closed.

"Ah, now that we are all here, I must explain a few things." Master Fung said as Omi and Terra sat down across from him.

"As you heard me tell Omi earlier, Terra here is a dragon like the rest of you," he continued, "But unlike the rest of you, Terra is one that only comes every 900 years or so, Terra is the Dragon of Life. When we found out that she had come to our world, Dojo and I went to go and try to find her."

"That's why you recognized me. What happened, I don't remember that long ago." said Terra.

"Chase Young happened. I will not go into much detail about that night, you will need to discover more on your own. But I will say this, he attacked you and your mother and fought us as well. Dojo tried to get you both to safety, but once he landed, your mother ran off and we were unable to find you." said Master Fung

"Who's Chase Young?" asked Terra.

"He's a no good snake in the grass is what he is." said Clay.

"Chase Young is a Haylin warrior, who use to fight for good and has lived for thousands of years. He went looking for Terra that same night. With her in his possession he would continue to live for thousands of years and never have to worry about partaking in drinking the Lao-Mang-Long soup." said Master Fung.

"And that's bad I'm guessing?" asked Terra.

"Indeed. Inside you, there is a great power. It can give life, as you all have seen with her done with the plants, and in time you will discover that you can do more." he continued.

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Kimiko asked.

"Chase will eventually learn of Terra's presence at the temple and will try to take her. We must do everything we can to prevent him from taking her. For the time being, Terra will train alongside you monks and hopefully we will be ready for when he does come." said Master Fung.

"How will having possession of me make him live forever, I'm not that powerful?" asked Terra.

"We do not know yet. We believe that Chase has found an ancient ritual that will help him achieve this." said Master Fung

"Do not worry Master Fung, we will be ready for Chase Young's attack." said Omi as he jumped up and leapt into a fighting pose.

"I have one more question... if Chase does get a hold of me, and somehow makes me give him immortal life, what happens then?" Terra asked.

"It would mean the beginning of ten thousand years of darkness for our world." said Master Fung.

"Is it just me, or does that seem to be the answer a lot?" asked Raimundo.

"I suggest that now would be a good time to finish your chores done young monks," to which the monks rose from their spots, "Terra, why don't you join Clay with the dishes."

Terra nodded and followed Clay as the rest of the monks left the room to do so. A thousand thoughts were going through her head as she walked, but one question kept popping up.

"Did mom know anything about this, is that why we moved so much?" she thought. It wasn't until Clay asked her a question that she realized that her mind had been wandering and that the others had gone their own ways.

"Sorry, say that again." Terra said.

"I asked what ya thought about all that." Clay replied.

"Oh... I'm not quite sure. I do believe in what Master Fung says though, that Chase getting ahold of me would be bad. But I can't understand why he won't tell me about what happened that night."

"Maybe it's like he said, it's something that ya need to find out for yourself. Do you remember anything from that night?"

"Not much... just a bright light, and running through the town. What do you think Chase did?"

"Whatever he did, it couldn't have been good."

By now the two had reached the kitchen and silently started on the dishes. Clay washed and rinsed as Terra dried and put them away. After a while the silence was starting to get to Terra so she decided to end it.

"So tell me what your home is like Clay, what's your family like?" she asked.

"Well... before I came here, I use to live on a ranch in Texas with my Ma and Pa, and a sister named Jessie. But I also have a bunch of cousins, aunts, and uncles." said Clay

"What kind of ranch is it?"

"Cattle, but we do have old Bessie. Omi tried to milk her once when all of us went over there. Needless to say, he would've had an easier time finding a tick in the middle of winter, but he did get her finally."

Terra chuckled as she imagined Omi chasing an old cow around a barn.

"Can I ask you one more question Clay?" she asked.

"Sure thing." he said. Terra was quiet for a while before she asked.

"Why didn't you stay with me the night I had the nightmare and pinned Raimundo to the floor?" she finally said.

"Well... it didn't seem like the proper thing to do. My mama always taught me to treat a lady with graciousness and courtesy. I didn't mean anything rude by leaving ya alone; I was just trying to be respectful."

As Clay was explaining this, Terra had frozen in place, surprised that anyone would think of her as a lady. A warm feeling was spreading through her chest again like it had when Clay had said goodnight to her after the nightmare. Except this time it didn't stop there, it kept spreading to her whole torso and her face. Terra found that she liked the feeling.

"That's really... sweet of you. You know, not a lot of people have made me feel as welcome as you guys," she said, "and I've never had any guy treat me as you do. I guess I just wanted to say thanks, and that I hope I'll be able to pay you all for your kindness. It's the first time I've felt at home ever since my mom left and... well... thank you." she said.

Clay just stared with a half-smile when Terra had finished. His heart had started racing when she said that he was sweet and still hadn't slowed down. It made it go even faster when she had said that other guys hadn't treated her the same way. Ever since he had laid eyes on her, a saying his mother had told him kept popping up in his head.

_"Clay, when you find that special someone, you treat her like a precious flower. If you do that, then you'll always have love." _

"I'll do just that mama." he thought.

The two of them continued to do the dishes as the day turned into night; both having a smile plastered to their faces as the worked. Eventually they finished the dishes and they started to head to their rooms. As they walked through the courtyards, both kept sneaking glances at each other and tried to think of something to say to the other.

At one point, Terra glanced at the sky and noticed all of the stars. Living in the city, one could only see a fraction of what she was looking at now. Clay nearly left her when she stopped and just stared at the sky. He stopped as well and just smiled as he saw her eyes widen.

"Lot more of them here than in Blackspring aren't there?" he said.

"So many more." she nearly whispered. Clay walked over to her side and gently took her hand.

"It's getting late, we best head inside now." he said. Terra looked back at him and blushed when she saw where her hand was.

"Ok then." she replied and the two headed to their rooms.

Once there, they said goodnight to each other and laid down in their beds. As they both fell asleep, the smiles stayed on their faces.

Sweet, chapter two is finally done. Sorry it took so long, moving to a new house and terrible writers block tend to slow me down. But I'm quite proud of this one and can't wait to finish the next chapter. Tell me what you think so far in the reviews, constructive criticism is welcomed.


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